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Can you text and drive?

Can you text and drive?

  • Yes

    Votes: 58 38.9%

  • No

    Votes: 91 61.1%
  • Total voters
    149
In the Att video I posted (see post #4) one of the kids that killed someone because of texting while driving had a good analogy:

"If you were driving on the freeway and your friend asked you to close your eyes for 5-10 seconds for fun... would you? No, you would tell them they are f##cking crazy and your not going to do that because it is unsafe!"

So... how is staring at your phone for 5-10 seconds any different? Somehow a phone being in your hand somehow makes it ok to risk others lives on the road :mad:
 
Aside from the fact it's illegal in my state, I simply can't do it; If I'm stopped (red light, stuck in stop & go traffic), I might send a quick message, but I have enough issues with trying to even answer my phone while I drive, let alone trying to text.
 
ap3604 said:
So... how is staring at your phone for 5-10 seconds any different? Somehow a phone being in your hand somehow makes it ok to risk others lives on the road :mad:
Click to expand...

I'm not an advocate of being on your phone while driving, but I admitted above to being guilty of it (which I'm going to try to stop).

I admit it is a dangerous activity, but your analogy is a bad one. Closing your eyes for 5-10 seconds?! Anyone that keeps their eyes off the road for that long is admittedly very stupid. Being a long time user of my iPhone while driving I must say that in all my time I have never taken my eyes off the road for longer than 2 seconds at most (usually it's only a second). I dart my eyes back and forth between the road and my phone. I'm not saying it is safe. It wouldn't be "safe" to close your eyes for 2 seconds while driving... but it's far safer than closing them for 5-10 seconds. That's absurd.
 
I used too and then had a close call when traffic suddenly stopped and I slammed on my brakes and stopped within 2 inches of the car in front of me. That made change my habits and I would never do that again.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
I'm not an advocate of being on your phone while driving, but I admitted above to being guilty of it (which I'm going to try to stop).

I admit it is a dangerous activity, but your analogy is a bad one. Closing your eyes for 5-10 seconds?! Anyone that keeps their eyes off the road for that long is admittedly very stupid. Being a long time user of my iPhone while driving I must say that in all my time I have never taken my eyes off the road for longer than 2 seconds at most (usually it's only a second). I dart my eyes back and forth between the road and my phone. I'm not saying it is safe. It wouldn't be "safe" to close your eyes for 2 seconds while driving... but it's far safer than closing them for 5-10 seconds. That's absurd.
Click to expand...

While I'll agree that it is an extreme example you have to realize that people actually do that. Did you watch the video?
 
Weird poll.

Who are all the people voting that you actually can't do it?

Note that if you drive off a cliff while texting you still have to vote 'yes' to this poll the way it's worded.
 
I usually drive with one hand on the wheel unless I'm overtaking, or cornering sharply. So if I use my phone, I use my free hand. It's no different to me having a conversation with someone in my car. I keep my eyes on the road and my mirrors.

I'll undoubtedly get flames for writing that. Texting, however, requires a fair bit of concentration and you have to take your eyes off the road. I'll admit that I've done it, but I am aware that it is vey dangerous and haven't done it since.
 
I was doing this a few years back on a dead road at night, stupidly a fox ran out and well I spun the car and ****ed the front bumper by hitting it on someone's garden fence! :(
 
I get the text, glance who it's from, read it if it's short, and then open Pastebot or Dragon Dictate and reply with "driving right now"

I have everything arranged to where I know where they are on the phone faster than I can change radio stations and even then it's no more than a quick glance away at best.
 
its illegal in washington state where i live. not that i would if it was legal to do so. its stupid and any one that does it should be shot in the head on site.
 
cocky jeremy said:
I can text and drive better than 90% of people can just drive. Most people shouldn't even have a license.
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trssho said:
Bull!
Click to expand...

+1

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Watch-the-Full-Hour-Americas-New-Deadly-Obsession-Video

Starting at 32:10,

3 guests on Oprah's show claimed super-texting/multi-tasking people, so they were put on Car & Driver texting/driving real road tests and ALL FAILED.

Please also see the video before 32:10 what if you were one of them.
 
I had a former manager who would blow up my phone with text messages, particularly if I didnt' reply immediately - and he would always send them while I was driving. I don't know how many times I'd told him "I don't text while I'm driving," and he knew I had a 20-30 minute commute just to get to work, but that didn't stop him from trying, or getting mad when I didn't respond until I got to work & parked.
 
JRoDDz said:
+1 Same here, I can do it. But why since it's 1) illegal and 2) idiotic.
Click to expand...

Heres what I don't understand.. People get all "holier than though" when it comes to texting, but no one ever says anything about people eating or putting on makeup, etc.. Why is one differnt than the other. Yes, I text from time to time, but not during rush hour traffic and such... And for me to text, it better be damn important for me to answer...
 
I think it's ridiculous for people to text and drive in certain situations. Driving in town/city when there's lots of targets---errr, people and traffic.

However, just as with any form of multi-tasking, there are "smart" ways to do it, and stupid ways to do it.

As I said before, DON'T text and drive when you're in a city/town/area with civilians. That's just common sense. Anyone doing that is simply stupid, and this is why we have all these PSA's on the matter.

But, if you're like me and live in a more rural area, it's much safer for you to text and drive, for a couple of reasons. Again, it's not safe, but neither is eating or talking or changing the radio/heat/whatever.

I live 10km out of town, so I have a bit of highway driving to do. Up here, our highways are very straight and very empty. I'm lucky if I see 2-3 vehicles on my drive home/to work. For me to be on a straight, empty highway and send a quick text, I really think my odds are quite low. And if I happen to smoke the ditch and spill my own personal brains everywhere, then so be it. It'd be a poor way to die, but stuff happens.

Use discretion, moderation and common sense and you'll be fine. These are things I think the mainstream society lacks. But that's a subject for another sermon.

You wouldn't browse for the best local metal radio station in a strange new city whilst changing lanes during rush hour. The world isn't black and white, nothing in life should be treated under the same set of rules because circumstances are always different.
 
I can do it better than most people out there, however it's dangerous no matter what. I have almost wrecked a couple times because of it. So, I don't do it unless I am stopped at a light or in traffic. I will glance at them when they come in.

Trying to respond to them while driving on a touch screen device is near impossible. Txting and driving is NOT SAFE. I would rather talk.
 
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